Crackdown on civil hospital

Dhubri, March 14: The Dhubri joint director of health services has been making surprise visits to Dhubri civil hospital and taking action against guilty staff members since the last few days.

During his visit today, the joint director of health services, K.K. Choudhury, warned the paramedical staff and other employees of Dhubri civil hospital that the release of their salaries would be stopped if they were found to be negligent at work and absent from duty hours.

When contacted by The Telegraph, Choudhury said he had received several allegations against many irregularities, including staff negligence and their unauthorised absence from duty.

“When I checked the attendance register, a nurse was found to be absent for a month without leave application while another paramedical staff was found to be on unauthorised leave from March 1 to 10. I have instructed them to stop and cut their salaries,” Choudhury added.

Choudhury also warned the staffs to be cautious about their duties and services, as he would not tolerate these irregularities.

Sources in the hospital said gross irregularities were going on in the hospital and it was not only paramedical staff and employees, but a section of doctors as well who have been taking advantage of weak administration.

Partho Gogoi, regional director of the National Rural Health Mission, who visited Dhubri civil hospital on January 17, took stock of the condition prevailing there and instructed the joint director to streamline the situation and revamp the administration to deliver quality medical services. Choudhury has been constantly taking action against allegations of anomalies and irregularities at the hospital.

Though the number of doctors and paramedical staff are inadequate, if they discharge their duties sincerely, satisfactory services can be provided to the patients. The biggest problem has been the lack of sincerity and devotion to their duties because of which patients have not been getting even primary health care at the civil hospital, a source in the hospital alleged.

Sources said owing to congestion and lack of space in the wards, Gogoi during his visit instructed the joint-director to remove some of the walls and convert it into a hall room. This way more patients could be accommodated and can be monitored using minimum para-medical staff, Choudhury said.

The land lying vacant at the entrance of the hospital was finally earmarked for constructing a separate maternity and child block. Work on this would start soon, sources added.